Jul/21

Ruskeala Express – a unique retro train in Karelia

No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Regions, Travel

“Ruskeala Express” is a tourist retro train running along the route Sortavala – Mountain Park “Ruskeala” – Sortavala in the Republic of Karelia. Today, it is the only daily steam train in Russia.

The average train speed is 40-60 km/h, the travel time is 1 hour. The interior of the train and the uniform of the train employees are made in the style of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

The town of Sortavala is located in the Republic of Karelia, on the shores of Lake Ladoga, about 270 km west of St. Petersburg. Sortavala is included in the list of historical towns of Russia. In the town center you can see examples of different architectural styles – classicism and neoclassicism, Western European Art Nouveau, neo-Gothic, and others.

Ruskeala is a mountain park located 25 km north of Sortavala. The main attraction of the park is the marble quarry, flooded after the Second World War.

In 2020, a turning circle for steam locomotives was opened in Ruskeala, which allows using one steam locomotive for “Ruskeala Express” instead of two. The process of changing the direction of movement of the locomotive, refueling it with water, and other maintenance also attracts tourists.